7 Ways and Places to Obtain Food Safety Auditing Experience

This information was developed based on a dilemma I read on Linkedin. A gentleman had qualifications in food safety but lacked the food safety auditing experience. He asked the food safety community how he could obtain food safety experience, and that after an interview with a recruiter he was turned down for a food safety auditor position because of his lack of food safety auditing experience. He referred to his dilemma as what came first the chicken or the egg. Let’s get into this.

So, you went and obtained the required certifications and education necessary to work and expand your food safety knowledge. You have been a Quality Manager or Director of Quality for umpteen years. You’ve created food safety programs, crafted formulations, participated in company forums, served as a SME (Subject Matter Expert) for your company. With all that you still lack the food safety auditing experience. This is where a lot of food safety professionals make a “fatal” mistake where they get all the qualifications, education, and experience in other areas except that of food safety auditing. Frankly speaking, most not participating in food safety & quality audits are missing out and shooting themselves in the foot. Most avoid participating in food safety audits, but when they want to pivot into the field, they have nothing to offer as far as experience. As a Quality Manager, when I found out about the food safety & quality audits I wanted to sit in and that’s how I got my start. ?Other managers, said, so you want to take part do you? I said yes. You have to pursue food safety auditing participation. With that said here are at least seven ways to obtain the food safety auditing experience you seek.

1 - Volunteer: Yeah, yeah, I know. This is not the most appealing way to gain food safety auditing experience, but here’s the trade-off: volunteer to inspect newbie food companies or restaurants. Let them know that you need 160 food safety inspection hours and you’re looking to obtain those hours through volunteering to inspect food facilities. Now, to do this you’ll most certainly need a company, i.e., an LLC, S-Corp, etc. ?Make sure you provide your certifications including degree. Set yourself up as a consultant. Create an online presence that is credible which will take some time. Have references in hand from your previous positions with individuals who will provide wonderful references for you. Have a contract detailing your volunteer services as well as an inspection checklist you’ll provide that the facility will receive after each inspection. ?Or if the facilities already have an inspection checklist in which they have to abide by, obtain it from the facility and use it. Here are some ideas on places that would be good to begin to volunteer your services:

• Non-profit organizations. I inspected a kitchen of a non-profit because they were purchasing from food banks and needed an inspection that was required by the food bank to continue their purchases. I volunteered and helped them out, and they provided a letter detailing me as their food safety consultant as well as me providing my credentials. Investigate non-profits in your area that feed the homeless and have kitchens.
• Inspect Shared Kitchens – Shared Kitchens defined: A shared kitchen is a?commercial space that has been licensed, certified, and equipped for professional food production. The space is available for entrepreneurs to rent, usually through flexible plans. Basically, they’re like membership organizations for food businesses. You pay a monthly rate based on how much time you need to use the space. I didn’t know these existed until I audited one through a certification body. These kitchens have certified equipment with spaces for prep, cooking, baking, cooler and freezer storage areas, ambient storage areas, etc. Companies with shared kitchens are small companies and are always looking for ways to increase their product sales as well as looking for the internal and/or external assistance. Volunteering to inspect their processes would be a great help to them; not only do you get the food safety auditing experience, but they get a food safety professional with great credentials. Pitch to the shared kitchen company that they eliminate the middleman, i.e., having someone directly to inspect their processes, and not having to contact a company who then has contract auditors.
• Food trucks and Pop-up Food Vendors, i.e., Food Tents, can fall under The National Street Food Vendors Association – don’t forget about these. Food trucks must go through Truck Health Inspections. Obtain a food truck inspection list and know the key aspects of a Food Truck Inspection which are: ? Food Handling Practices (inspectors assess methods of food handling, handwashing, glove use, utensil use to avoid contamination). Temperature Control (maintaining correct temperatures for hot and cold foods is crucial as not to have bacteria growth). Sanitation (cleanliness and sanitation are evaluated including utensil cleanliness, food surface cleanliness, proper waste disposal, and a handwash station with warm water, soap, and single-use towels for hand drying). Storage Practices (proper food storage, especially the separation of cooked and raw foods in different containers and areas; no spoilage or cross-contamination should occur).

2 - Restaurant Inspections: There are companies that offer full-time and part-time jobs inspecting QSRs (Quick Serve Restaurants). Inspecting restaurants are great places in which to gain that food safety auditing experience. There are food safety auditors that got their start this way because they found it tough to break into the food safety auditing field with little or no experience. One company is Ecosure, at the writing of this. From the Internet - EcoSure audits are?thorough evaluations that measure a restaurant’s adherence to food safety and hygiene standards. These audits cover a gamut of criteria, including but not limited to, general cleanliness, correct food handling, safe storage practices, and employee hygiene and training. Steritech is another company that offers food safety inspections for restaurants. From the Internet – Steritech offers audits and assessments for restaurant and foodservice brands. If you choose to go this route here are several qualifications you’ll need to inspect restaurants:

o?? 360Training.com - Food & Alcohol Safety Compliance Training for Businesses

o?? ServSafe.com – National Restaurant Association

3 - Become a member of your company’s food safety team: Better late than never. Having an aversion to food safety & quality audits when you want to become a food safety auditor is shooting yourself in the foot. Participate in all your facility’s food safety & quality audits, be on the team whenever they meet, be present when the auditor needs to see pre-ops that may occur early in the morning, i.e., be flexible. Ask to lead a portion of the audit through taking a specific section and/or clause of the audit standard. With your team members, perform a mock audit against the Standard in which your company is being audited against.

4 - Stadiums: Sports and Entertainment are not going away any time soon. Ever thought about inspecting stadiums? There are jobs like a Chief Sanitarian for Retail Food Inspections. There are hospitality companies that run food and beverage operations at stadiums. Here they are:

a.??? Delaware North

b.??? Aramark

c.??? Levy Restaurants

d.??? Centerplate

e.??? Legends Hospitality

f.???? Oakview/Spectra Food Services

5 - Ports: Where most foods and consumer goods are initially delivered. I’ve had the opportunity to inspect a port, and I was so intrigued and was able to watch the unloading process as well as inspect port coolers and freezers.

6 - The CDC (Center for Disease Control) has a Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP): Have you ever thought about inspecting cruise ships? From the CDC website – “Inspecting cruise ship operations is one of the core ways we help address acute gastroenteritis (AGE) onboard. We inspect cruise ship operations for their compliance with public health standards.” There is a VSP Manual to follow and cruise ships are inspected at least twice a year.

7 - Cargo Surveyor, Shipping Container Inspector: There are several types of shipping containers you can inspect with two being Dry Containers and Refrigerated Containers. There are five types of cargo, i.e., bulk, general, special, ship, and insurance surveyors. You do not need a degree to become a Container Inspector, but you do need to pass a certification exam. A resource for this certification is IICL (The Institute of International Container Lessors) which offers this certification which is good for five years. Other trainers are Lloyds Maritime Institute which offers a course with no pre-requisites but recommends the course for people who are new to shipping. SafeResponse offers an online training course for security personnel. Container inspectors look for the following:

a.??? Corrosion

b.??? Condition of welding and riveting

c.??? Mechanical damage

d.??? Condition of Structural Components

As you gather your food safety auditing experience please begin an audit log for tracking purposes. You’ll use this audit log to accompany your resume – they go hand-in-hand.

Please let me know if this article has helped you. Thank you